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Ever wonder how to go about choosing books for your music classroom?
Here are some tips that I use when choosing books to use and create resources for. 1) Artwork-A well designed cover and book will instantly draw the attention of your students and hopefully keep them interested in what you are presenting to them. Also, beautiful artwork is a reflection of the love that went into the book, so I always look for this when choosing something! 2) Wording-Are there many words on a page? Not many? What is the ratio of words to pictures per page? Do the words distract from the picture or allow children to enjoy the artwork? I like books with roughly 2-3 sentences per page so that the book can be a visual as much as an auditory experience for my students. 3) Rhyming-Do the words rhyme? If so, is it easy to read these rhymes? Usually when all of the words of a book rhyme that gives it several advantages. The first is that the reading of it has a natural flow which help the lesson on this book flow better. The second is that even if a rhyme or song does not exist yet, the book already rhymes which can help students practice keeping a steady beat while reading it. If there is an additional song/rhyme added then one book can cover multiple concepts in one lesson, which is always wonderful. 4) Pauses-Does the book have convenient stopping points which invites an additional rhyme/song at that moment? This is one of the principles that I have built the majority of my lessons around and thus I try to look for this when book shopping. 5) Interesting storyline-If I cannot add a rhyme or song.....can I make a songtale about the book? If you need suggestions on great books, check out Melissa Stouffer's Ultimate Book List here: https://mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/the-ultimate-music-education-book-list/ Hope these tips are helpful to you when choosing literature for your classroom! Musically yours, Polina
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